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Some sample consultative meeting records at Elstree Aerodrome:
1. Elstree Aerodrome
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As at 2008, the Aerodrome Consultative
Committee has been going for some 35 years. There is a legal (Statutory)
obligation on the owner of the aerodrome to provide 'adequate facilities for
consultation' that is usually done by a consultative committee. It has no
teeth but nevertheless has actually ensured that noise reduction hasn't been
ignored, with the result that Elstree has a quite complex regime in place. The
downside is that whilst that works now, it has no legal force and could be
changed at whim if new management were to take over. That is unlikely whilst the
current leaseholder, John Houlder MBE, is in control, but he is well past his
90th birthday and may be expected to have retired before his 100th (although he
could surprise us there).
Current main noise abatement procedure
for training aircraft which fly 'round and round' with dummy landings or as it
is sometimes called 'circuits and bumps' is to alternate daily (at 2pm) between
Bushey (south) and Radlett (north). Furthermore Radlett has three routes used,
each used for one hour before changing to the next. The details of these routes
are arranged to try to minimise the overall nuisance. This routing has also to
take account of the issues to east and west: North Bushey/central Bushey and north-west
Borehamwood. These have the aircraft which are not training in the circuit,
being required to fly straight
in or straight out, that saves them adding to the circuit traffic and is a great
help in reducing the overall impact. Nevertheless there are still issues, for example when the wind is from the east then all aircraft, circuit
or outside visitors, fly directly over my house. But it is not as bad as it seems,
since they are (mostly!) throttled back coming in to land.
The full power take off and turning noise is far
more disturbing.
Two, linked, national organisations
Airfields Environment Trust
Aviation Environment Federation
Response of ACE to Gov Consultation paper end 2000
2. A personal view of aviation
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My interest in aviation goes back at least to model aircraft in my youth,
does anyone remember the Super Slicker?
Whilst flying these in the garden at South Godstone, ?10 miles from Redhill
Airstrip, aged perhaps 16, I recall light aircraft buzzing about a bit and
thinking that in a few years the sky would be absolutely full of aircraft as
everyone will have them. That was in about 1950, aircraft usage on that scale
didn't happen.
BUT aircraft noise did indeed become one of the biggest post war
environmental issues.
The aviation industry claimed that there would be great loss of power
(financially ruining they said) if noise reduction measures were taken. As an
engineer, and knowing that noise=energy, I knew that reducing noise would
increase, not reduce, efficiency, but of course only if it was converted into
thrust rather than waste heat. Of course that happened eventually for the jets,
though the attitude of the industry doubtless made it take longer than
necessary.
But it didn't happen for the Redhill type light aircraft, and negative
industry thinking still holds. There are small cracks appearing but they are
unfortunately not spreading as fast as proper stress cracks usually do.
Cabair (London School of Flying) promised the community near
Elstree Aerodrome over twenty years ago
that they would fit silencers as soon as they became available. Well they have
been for several years
available for some of their aircraft and they have not fulfilled their promise.
Firecrest (who also train from Elstree) have fitted them successfully and Cabair
did fit one but for whatever reason it didn't last. They say something cracked,
but have produced no evidence to date (2005) that they have tried to establish
the cause or to eliminate the fault.
Personally I have worked with aviation for many years. I helped build, and
then test fly, an interception course computer designed to guide the weapon
called Red Dean (I hope that name is now declassified, everyone knew it at the
time anyway). Then a digital airborne navigation computer DEXAN, a world first.
Later a data recorder for Boscombe Down and for the Centre d'Essais en Vol near
Paris. Trials involved flying up and down the country at 30,000ft as that was
then above the airlines. I then project-managed part of the Concorde
development, the flight data analysis computers (SDS) and software (FREP etc).
My uncle, Bob Beney, sometime called the black sheep for reasons I never
discovered, was in the industry before the second war and took out patents on
contra-rotating props.
My ?second cousin Adrian Beney is a keen aviator and has some interesting
aviation links and material on his web site
www.beney.org.uk
I do not think the light end of the aviation industry in general is doing
nearly enough to reduce their impact on other people. Following from that I
became a founder member of the Airfields Environment Federation, later its
vice-chairman. Now retired from that, though they very kindly gave me honorary
life membership. I work through the Elstree Aerodrome Consultative Committee and
was secretary of that for some forty years. See ps1 at bottom of page.
Also I was involved in starting ACE, the Association for the Containment
of Elstree aerodrome. The (then) Liberals had detected it as a local
issue and with their help and that of the Jefferis family from Hilfield Park, very
near the aerodrome, we had 800 or so paid up members in no time at all. There
had been twin late night flying and a threatened runway extension and engine failure
practice on take off over houses. When news of our formation was announced in
the press, Mr Houlder, the aerodrome owner, contacted me and immediately banned
the practicing of engine failure directly over houses. We then agreed to set up
a consultative facility, which has met regularly ever since.
Big Jets
The big jet component of noise should not be ignored. Whilst most local people
complain about the Elstree aircraft, significant numbers also mention the
commercial jets. A few only mention the jets. I did some sound level tests and
these jets (on the east west and VV routes) give a very similar noise footprint
to the light aircraft both in level and duration. They are faster and higher but
give similar impact. The measurements were made in central Bushey, somewhat
south of the jet flight paths.
A Poem
Recovering from a severe infection in 2001 I was moved to
write this, goodness knows why. Now ('now' is November 2007) I felt it worth
putting here as Cabair are starting to claim that diesels (which are quieter but
not as quiet as those Katanas) were introduced for the benefit of those flown
over. It needs to be recorded that Cabair broke long standing promises to the
community to fit silencers. The record is in Elstree's Consultative minutes if
you care to read all 103 of them. Of course we welcome the phased introduction
of the quieter (and 3 bladed prop equipped) aircraft. But it was not solely done
for us, was it actually done for us at all?
"Monday afternoon the 23rd July 2001"
A Summer Musing. By CB
There I sat in the garden convalescing.
With legs up as per doctor's orders,
gently catching up with work that had been piling up.
I called up my reserves of mental powers
and at least partly managed to block out the Growls and Grinds -
coming up; above; then away.....followed by another and another and...........
I blocked off thoughts of school instructors letting their errant pupils Grind
over my house, despite it being out-of-bounds.
I blocked off thoughts of lonely silencers sitting in factories, un-bought,
un-fitted, despite promises.
I blocked off thoughts of the board who had spurned the silent angel Katana[1]
and embraced brash Thor[2]
without a word or thought for us mortals below.
Fortunately I had no need to speak or to hear as I was alone, but I mused a
little on the nature of thoughtlessness.
Then a movement caught my eye, straining my ears I heard a cat purr.......
No, oh joy, it was the angel returned, the angel Katana that I have sworn gives
me no cause for complaint.
Then Thor's Growls and Grinds began again.
Why?
ps1
In I think 2015, after over 40 years as Secretary to the Elstree
Consultative committee I resigned. My age (82) was actually only a
small part of the reason. The main reason was that the new
management didn't seem to understand the word 'consultation' they
appeared to think that telling us what they were going to do (or
sometimes had done) was consultation. Support from the committee on
the whole was inadequate.
ps2
With the death of Cllr Michael Colne in 2016 (he helped
enormously in the early days) I am the only person living who was
involved with the consultative committee from the beginning.
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